Alice booked a 10 pm flight for the three of them to fly back to Forks, Washington. Bella was adjusting to newly being a vampire and she is sitting on the bed talking to Edward. They are kissing and touching each other. Edward is still upset that Bella became a vampire, but he puts that in the past because he is so happy to see her again. They lay on the bed and just look at each other.

"Marry me," Edward says.

"Yes," Bella says. She is immortal now and she has Edward.

They lay there and look at each other. Several hours later Edward says to Bella, "You know things will never be the same for you. I wish I had been the one who turned you. But now you are cursed to the night."

"It's not a curse. I'm not afraid. I'm fine with it," Bella says.

Edward is amazed at how strong his Bella is. Not just physically, because she is physically strong now. But mentally. She was never afraid and she adjusted to becoming a soulless burn in the sun vampire. She adjusted so quickly and said to Edward that she was not afraid. His Bella was so strong, and how he loved her so.

Suddenly Bella is overwhelmed with thirst. Edward can tell by looking at her. He can sense her thirst and her pain. Since it was daylight and California neither of them could leave the hotel. Bella would burn and Edward would sparkle an expose the existence of vampires to the public. That would cause the Volturi to interfere, which none of the Cullens wanted.

"I'm so thirsty Edward," Bella said. She could sense and smell all of the people in the hotel. The scents were overwhelming, tempting, scary, and enjoyable all at once.

"Patience my love," Edward says.

"Kiss me," Bella says. He leans in and kisses his Bella. He loves her and is sad at the same time. He is convinced that now neither of them have souls and that they are damned. At least, though, they are damned together.

Edward holds Bella and helps her to stop thinking about her thirst. She thinks about how happy she is back with Edward and that she would never age and would be young forever. She is still overwhelmed, and Edward is still sad. He can't teach Bella how to adjust to being hurt by the sun because it is something he has never ha to go through. He is thankful for Alice, as Bella had no idea that she would have burned when the sun came up. Alice got there just on time and saved her, thanks to her vision. Edward thinks about how if he had never left, then this would have never happened.

"Jacob is going to be so disappointed when I tell him," Bella realizes and accidentally says out loud. Jacob had yet to shift into a wolf and yet he would. Bella would be one of the cold ones that Jacob hated so.

"Don't think about him now," Edward said.

"He's my friend, Edward," Bella says. "You are the one that I love. I'm immortal now. We have forever together."

She hadn't known it when she sought immortality and vampirism, but she sacrificed the sun for the moon and the stars. She would have great intuition once she accepted the pain and curse that was brought on her. Her mind turned back to Spike, the vampire that changed her. She would always be thankful to Spike, even though he led her to kill. She realizes that since there are more than one type of vampire, Spike is the only one that would truly understand her. Bella wants to find Spike, talk to him and thank him. It doesn't mean she is in love with him. She is still in love with Edward. But only Spike can teach her some of these things.

"I can read your mind, Bella," Edward says. "Why are you thinking about Spike? He's the one who turned you?"

Edward is furious with Spike. He wants to end Spike. But he knows that is wrong. He can see that a part of Bella now loves Spike, the way a part of Bella loves Jacob, and her father, and her mother.

"I'm scared," Bella admits. "I didn't realize becoming a vampire meant I can't go out in the sun, not even secretly with you in the meadow. I'm not saying I regret it. I'm immortal now. I'm not fragile. But this is all so new."

Edward laughs sadly and holds Bella. He hadn't wanted this for Bella. But now it was done and all he could do was help her adjust and make sure that she was okay.

Edward kisses Bella's cheek and Bella closes her eyes and remembers what her life was and what it now is and how she had forever now.

Alice returns and Carlisle is on the phone with the three of them. He too had never heard of nightwalker vampires and does not know how to help Bella adjust but since Edward cannot live without Bella, he sees Bella as an adopted daughter.

"How will she hunt animals with us if the sun burns her in the daylight?" Alice asks Carlisle.

"We will think of something, Alice," Carlisle says over the phone. "Perhaps we will hunt at night. How is she, Alice?"

"Here and there, confused, in love, thirsty, scared," Alice responds.

"Okay. Once night falls head to Forks. I will be there with the rest of the family," Carlisle says.

Back in the hotel. Edward and Bella are resting together, and Bella finally stops thinking about what she's done and her thirst. She is calm and at peace. Edward stops blaming himself and is thanking that his Bella is back, although her scent is different now. She is not prey; she is his partner.

Meanwhile, Spike is watching Bella and Edward and Alice. He would end up coming after the Cullens. He would try to get Bella to love him. Spike was rebellious, he was evil for the thrill of it and not for the sake of just being evil. He knew that soon Bella would feel like none of the Cullens could understand her and that she would seek him out. Spike, and maybe Angel too, will teach her about what it means to be a soulless monster. Angel and his soul, Spike thinks laughing. This is also before Spike falls in love with Buffy and seeks out a soul. That would happen, and Bella would be a part of it.

For now, the monsters sleep. Spike does not realize that Edward is a telepath. Edward feels like he is a monster too but wants to be good. He cares about Bella's virtue and about Bella's soul. But he would love her even for what she is now.

Soon the Cullens and Bella were on a plane back to Forks, Washington. On the plane Bella insists that when they get back, she will find a way to tell her father an Jacob that she is okay; her mother too. They didn't have to know that she is a monster now. The plane ride is long, and the three vampires are eerily quiet and uncomfortable. Alice is psychic and Edward reads minds and Bella is a shield so their gifts clashed. Both Alice and Edward are scared for Bella because they never knew what it was like to be burned by the sun and therefore don't know how to help her adjust to it. But she would have to adjust, and maybe find a way to develop a tolerance to the sun. Maybe it would always hurt her, but she would find a way to endure it for maybe ten minutes, at least so she could tell Charlie that she is okay in person. She doesn't know yet, and it may not be possible. Maybe she would have to wear a burka.

"I'm not going to risk you bursting into flames just so you can talk to Charlie," Edward says after reading Bella's thoughts.

"Maybe I can endure it for a short moment. I don't know," Bella says. "I'm not afraid."

"You always say that to me," Edward says. "That you're not afraid. But you should be. Afraid."

"I'm only afraid of losing you," Bella says.

"I know," Edward says.

They get home and Bella settles into the Cullen house. She calls Charlie and her mom to announce that she was home from her journey and that the Cullens are back and that she is going to stay with them for a while. Charlie isn't that okay it but Carlisle convinces Charlie that it is what is truly best for Bella. Bella also calls Renee who now lives in Florida and lets her know that she is safe and staying with the Cullens and that she is so in love and excited about life.

Carlise had prepared a room for Bella on the first floor with no windows. Edward's room had windows, as he had no reason to fear the sun. Although now he feared the sun; he feared that the sun would hurt and or destroy his Bella. He couldn't bear that thought. At night, though, Bella and Edward sat in Edward's room talking, playing music, and making love.

During the night Bella hunts rabbits and mice. The bigger animals would be better sustenance, but they usually were not nocturnal. For now, Bella made do with the blood of small creatures. The memory of the one human girl she drank was still strong and tempting, but Edward was helping her through it. So was Alice and the rest of the Cullen clan. All would be okay, or at least endurable.

Charlie had yet seen his daughter since she arrived back in Forks. Bella told him that she is not ready to go back to school nor see him in person. Carlisle talks to Charlie and tells him that he is planning on home schooling Bella but does not - cannot - tell Charlie why. At least not yet.

To be continued...